Free Republic

My first encounter with vaxxport tyranny took place last week at a Los Angeles gym, where I have been a member for two years. Abiding by an edict from the governor of California, the reception staff asked to see my vaccination card or a QR code before allowing me access to the facilities. I told the newly anointed gatekeepers that whether or not to partake of the vaccine was a personal medical decision, as in "my body, my choice." I made clear my resentment of the tyrannical invasion of my privacy — especially for the COVID "virus" that has demonstrated...

For a few years now, ion propulsion technology's sci-fi mechanics have raised the standard for flying spacecraft, replacing fiery rocket tails as the new in-thing. Ion propulsion can be about 10 times faster than normal fuel and can continuously run for prolonged periods of time, gaining a wicked amount of speed along the way. One drawback, however, is it's typically employed with xenon thrusters. JAXA's Hayabusa2 mission used the classic xenon as a fuel. Xenon, a heavy noble gas, is exceptionally rare on Earth, pricey and difficult to maintain. That's why French aerospace company ThrustMe is pursuing a plan for...

Photo Gallery of 30 classically beautiful or avant-garde American restaurants. I am thinking this may bring back some great memories for some of the Free Republic Night Crew.

Vice President Kamala Harris commented on the verdict in Kyle Rittenhouse's homicide trial, suggesting it showed the criminal justice system is not equitable, apparently contradicting President Joe Biden's remarks. In a tweet Friday evening, the vice president and former prosecutor said: "Today's verdict speaks for itself. I've spent a majority of my career working to make our criminal justice system more equitable. It's clear, there's still a lot more work to do." While Harris' comments seemed to condemn the outcome of the trial, Biden had stood by the jury's decision earlier Friday. "I stand by what the jury has concluded....

A research program promoted by the University of Texas at Austin instructs White children as young as four on how to deal with "anti-Black racism." The program, known as "GoKar" with the KAR standing for "Kids Against Racism," is a voluntary study given to White caregiver-child pairs where the children are four and five years old and have not yet started kindergarten, according to College Fix.... ...UT Austin researchers are attempting to recruit up to 200 caregiver-child pairs to participate in four weeks of engagement totaling 7.5 hours.

NEW YORK - A rare first printing of the U.S. Constitution sold at Sotheby’s in New York for $43.2 million, a record price for a document or book sold at auction. The buyer, Chicago hedge fund manager Kenneth Griffin, will loan the document to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, for public exhibition, Sotheby’s announced Friday. Griffin, founder and CEO of multinational hedge fund Citadel, outbid a group of 17,000 cryptocurrency enthusiasts from around the world who crowdfunded to buy it over the last week. “The U.S. Constitution is a sacred document that enshrines the rights...

MSNBC "MTP Daily" host Chuck Todd expressed dismay that Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted in his trial for shooting three people during a riot in Kenosha last year. "I can understand how a teenager like Rittenhouse might feel endangered when a guy tried to club him with a skateboard or pointed a pistol at him," Todd admitted. "From a narrow perspective, it might be self-defense for him to shoot to save his life. But from a broader perspective, is society better off because he did? What message did the jury's verdict send?" "If Rittenhouse had withheld his fire the worst that...

The Western States Sheriffs’ Association has issued a declaration of “no confidence” in Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, saying he’s led a Biden team that has turned the southern border into “an invisible line in the sand.” The sheriffs, who represent 17 states, called on President Biden to oust Mr. Mayorkas and find a new department chief who will work with them to restore respect for the border and immigration law.... ...“America’s sheriffs have watched in disbelief as the southern border has turned into an invisible line in the sand,” the sheriffs said this week in a position paper signed...

More than 5,500 silver coins buried by a river about 1,800 years ago are now in the hands of archaeologists, following the hoard's discovery in Augsburg, Germany.At the time of the coins' burial, the Roman Empire was in full swing, with its coinage reaching all corners of its territory and beyond.These coins "are denarii, the standard silver denomination during the 1st-early 3rd century [A.D.]," Stefan Krmnicek, a professor of ancient numismatics (the study of coins) at the University of Tübingen in Germany, told Live Science in an email.Archaeologists found the hoard earlier this year in an old riverbed. But though...

The Ukrainian Parliament passed a bill approving a military agreement signed between Ukraine and Turkey. Some 303 out of 450 lawmakers voted in favor of the law. The agreement was signed during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Turkey on Oct. 16, 2020. It includes the legal framework for mutual defense cooperation issues. The agreement reflects a guarantee for security and peace in the Black Sea region. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry also signed a series of agreements on Dec. 14 with the Turkish side on the production and technology transfer of naval corvettes and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV), which...

US President Joe Biden has said he is "angry" after a teenager who shot dead two men during racial unrest last year in Wisconsin was cleared. The president expressed dismay at the verdict in a written statement after earlier telling reporters he supported the jury's decision. Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, sobbed as he was acquitted of all charges over the shooting in Kenosha on 25 August 2020. There were low-key protests over the outcome in a trial that divided the US. Mr Rittenhouse nearly collapsed with relief as he learned his fate on Friday from a jury of seven women and...

“Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” (Proverbs 20:9 KJV).

Emergency crews in western Canada were still trying to reach some 18,000 people stranded by landslides and struggling to find food among bare grocery store shelves after devastating flooding. With communities in the region braced for more torrential rain in already inundated areas next week , the premier of British Columbia province declared an emergency and gave an emotional address in a press conference on Thursday. Appearing to fight back tears, John Horgan said: “The positive I’m going to take out of this is that it had shown British Columbians coming together supporting each other....

As health officials push COVID booster shots, a debate is quickly emerging around whether the definition of "fully vaccinated" should be changed to include an additional dose of the vaccine. Why it matters: Booster shots provide remarkably strong protection against coronavirus infections, at least for a period of time. But getting the majority of Americans to stick out their arm again would be extremely challenging. Driving the news: Two governors said this week that they don't consider people who haven't received a booster shot to be fully vaccinated. "We're 11 months into the vaccination program. In my view, if you...

A former New York Times reporter claims the newspaper held her story about the ravaging effects of the Kenosha riots on impoverished neighborhoods until after the 2020 elections. Nellie Bowles went to the Wisconsin city to report on the racial justice riots in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in August 2020, according to a Thursday post on partner Bari Weiss’ Substack channel Common Sense. Protests, riots and civil unrest engulfed the city for days, and the events were the backdrop of then-17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse’s fatal shooting of two people. Bowles said she was sent to report...

President Joe Biden announced plans Friday to nominate two new members to the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors, a potential first step in removing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.... Biden is replacing two of DeJoy’s backers on the board, chair Ron Bloom and John Barger. However, the president would likely have to make additional appointments as terms expire in order for the board to replace DeJoy, since the board is responsible for choosing the postmaster general. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at Friday’s news briefing that the administration is “deeply troubled” by reports of DeJoy’s “potential financial conflicts...

Riots broke out last night in the center of Rotterdam, on and around the Coolsingel. Several hundred rioters were on their feet. Police officers felt compelled to fire. Warning shots were also fired. Here's what we know about the chaos in the heart of the city. Injured At least seven people were injured in the riots. There have been injuries related to the shots fired and there have been also been injuries on the side of the police. The severity of the injuries is not yet known. A journalist was also injured after he was attacked by rioters. Arrests Police...

“In light of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, we want to clarify when and why we have removed certain fundraisers in the past”GoFundMe has become notorious with canceling fundraisers perceived right-of-center people accused and trying to raise funds defend themselves. It happened to former U. Central Florida Professor Charles Negy who was trying to raise funds to fight the university action against him. It happened to Kyle Rittenhouse. Now GoFundMe will allow Rittenhouse to raise funds. Now that he’s been acquitted. GoFundMe would not allow “replies” to its tweet, so a lot of people Quote Tweeted their responses. It was a...

The American Civil Liberties Union should not cavalierly take the side of prosecutors against the concept of self-defense. Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old who shot and killed two men during the riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last summer, was acquitted on Friday. Prosecutors had charged him with first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, but the jury was persuaded by Rittenhouse's argument that he acted in self-defense. For anyone who had followed the trial closely, this outcome is unsurprising. The prosecution simply did not meet its burden of proof, and Rittenhouse's...